Thursday, August 12, 2010

Ideology over Oklahoma: Fallin's Political Ploy Takes a Hit

Rep. Mary Fallin is the Republican candidate for governor. In this very Red State, Fallin ought to be a shoo-in come November.

But Fallin's ideology—go as far right as possible—is problematic, as a Tulsa World editorial pointed out the other day. In an editorial, the World noted that Fallin turned the promise of new federal aid—money that will help Oklahoma—into a campaign issue.

Fallin, the editorial noted, "has joined the ranks of conservative members of Congress who've come up with a way…to have it both ways…." In other words, Fallin criticized the federal spending (like a good conservative), knowing full well that the money will come to the Sooner state anyway.

This raises an interesting question: Does Mary Fallin want new federal money for Oklahoma or not? As the World puts it:

One has to wonder if Fallin, were she elected governor, would try to turn away federal funding for schools or health care?

Good question. Fallin claims to adhere to "principled" conservatism, but this sort of bait-and-switch political posturing is hardly principled.